Today — Elena, Laura and I explored the William Blake historic sites. We met at Piccadilly Circus and walked over to Saint James’s Church, where Blake was baptized. The baptismal font is still there, with very intricate carvings of Adam and Eve. It’s amazing to think that Blake was once a baby who could fit in that font!

St. James’s Church.

A Blake quote welcoming visitors of St. James’s.

Another side of St. James’s.

The baptismal font.

Closeup of the baptismal font.

Inside St. James’s.

A different angle inside St. James’s.

Then, we took a double-decker bus through the city all the way across the Thames to Battersea to visit Saint Mary’s Church were Blake and Catherine were married. We almost got lost since there were a number of similar churchs in the area, but we managed to find the right one. The ladies in the church were a bit confused at first by our presence. But when I told them that we are Blake enthusiasts, they immediately understood.

Inside the double-decker bus!

St. Mary’s Church Battersea

View across the Thames.

Inside St. Mary’s.

Inside St. Mary’s: stained-glass window commemorating Blake.

Detail of stained glass.

Another detail of stained glass.

After that, we went to visit Blake’s grave at Bunhill Fields. It was a very old but charming cemetary, and it was fascinating watching them in the process of restoring some of the old crypts and tombstones. I left a simple offering at Blake’s gravestone — an apple — and also explored the green where Blake’s physical body is supposed to have been buried (I believe The Friends of William Blake are trying to raise money and/or petition for a special monument at Blake’s actual burial site).

Then, we went to visit Westminster Abbey. Here, I unfortunately got separated from Elena and Laura, and we couldn’t find each other again.😦 But I’m glad I went, even though it was a bit overwhelming to take in. I especially enjoyed the Poets’ Corner where I saw commemorations to Lord Byron, Lewis Carroll and Blake among others.

Big Ben/Elizabeth Tower.

Approaching Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey!

I spy the London Eye!

The absolute highlight of my day — and possibly even my trip — was the British Museum’s Department of Prints and Drawings. I didn’t get to see all that much of the museum proper, but inside this department I was allowed to handle and examine an original print of Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience. When I say “prints,” I mean a copy made by Blake himself on his own printing press!! I was able to see many of my favorite poems — “The Tyger,” “The Fly,” “The Sick Rose,” etc. The prints are indescribably complex and beautiful, and surprisingly tiny. It was amazing rereading these poems as they were originally meant to be read! After that, I enjoyed afternoon tea at the museum for a surprisingly reasonable price. And I ate every last sandwich, cake, and scone.😀

Inside The British Museum.

Afternoon tea is about to commence.

Now I feel that my trip is complete.

I ate every last crumb!

Scones and clotted cream.

That was fun!

See ya’ later, British Museum!

Tomorrow, back to San Francisco!

***

Above is the last entry of the journal I wrote during my Cannes/London trip.

Overall, this trip was an amazing experience and I’m glad I was able to do almost everything I planned to.

I met so many amazing people along the way and was inspired by everything I encountered.

I began my day exploring Trafalgar Square and the surrounding area while waiting for the museums to open. I went from statue to statue, taking photos and reading inscriptions. Around the block, I found myself at Leicester Square where a statue of Shakespeare is under renovation.

I spent about an hour or so running around the National Portrait Gallery, which was a lot of fun since very few people were there so it felt as if I had the whole museum to myself. During this time, I discovered many interesting paintings and that sometimes the portrait is just as much about the subject as it is about the artist behind the scenes. I was particularly delighted that the portraits of William Blake, Lord Byron, and Lord & Mary Shelley were all in the same room. Also, I was excited to see Sir William Blake Richmond’s portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir John Everett Millais’s portrait of Sir Arthur Sullivan.

After that, I had an early lunch at The Chandos pub Opera Room — a cozy restaurant with fire places and stained glass windows — and ate the most incredible fish and chips I’ve ever had. Like the Portrait Gallery, I had this place too all to myself.

The Chandos pub.

Entrance to the Opera Room.

Inside the Opera Room.

Stained glass windows in the Opera Room.

Nothing like a fireplace on a rainy day.

Teatime!!

Fish and Chips to die for!

After lunch, I tried to take the Harrods bus tour, but it was sold out — which was fine by me. Instead, I bought some chocolates and candies at Harrods for later and had tea time at Café Liberty, inside the Liberty of London department store.

Harrods is quite over the top.

Difficult to resist all the candy and chocolates.

The famous Egyptian room.

Liberty of London.

Inside Liberty.

Can’t get enough of this architecture.

Can I film a movie in here?

Inside Café Liberty.

Teatime, again!!

Aromatic Darjeeling.

I have a weakness for lemon tart.

See you later, Liberty.

Green tea chocolate, marzipan, and Turkish delight from Harrods.

Around 7 p.m., I was reunited after three years with my great friend Elena and company for a Jack the Ripper walking tour. It was so wonderful to see Elena again and we all had a great time on the tour. The tour guide was very good, like an actor performing each character in every murder and theory. At the end, to rest our feet a bit before going home, we hung out at The Ten Bells pub — know as the Jack the Ripper Pub since the victim “…Annie Chapman may have drunk at the pub shortly before she was murdered.”

For the first time in two weeks, I was able to get a full night’s sleep. I knew I would need it for the busy day ahead.

View outside my hotel window.

Tunnel on the way to the V&A.

Hello V&A!

Architectural detail of the V&A.

So excited to go inside!

I could spend days in here!

Another architectural detail of the V&A.

After some breakfast at Le Pain Quotidian (haven’t eaten there since I lived in Manhattan), I lined up for “David Bowie is” at the Victoria and Albert Museum. I’ve loved Bowie ever since I saw him perform live when I was in high school and I really admire him as a true multi-talented artist/Renaissance man. The exhibit itself was a bit sensory overload at first. But once I got used to it, I had a great time. The clothing/costumes in particular impressed me, especially the powder blue suit from the “Life on Mars” music video and the silver Pierrot from the “Ashes to Ashes” music video. It was really inspiring to see Bowie’s handwritten lyrics for “Space Oddity” and “Ashes to Ashes.” Also, I was delighted to see Bowie’s hand-drawn storyboard for the “Ashes to Ashes” music video, a note to Bowie from Christopher Isherwood and a painting by Bowie of Yukio Mishima. Of course, I spent some time in the gift shop buying Bowie souvenirs for friends and family.

I had a little bit of time to run around the rest of the V&A, but one really needs a lifetime to see every nook and cranny of that museum. I saw some beautiful William Morris pieces (wallpaper, etc.) and, by chance, the costume designs from the original production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado. Then, I ran quickly through the Regency period rooms as well as the Medieval/Renaissance rooms.

After that, I went over to the Tate Britain. It was somewhat overwhelming seeing William Blake’s paintings in person for the first time, especially The Ghost of a Flea. In person, one can really see the textures and colors that don’t get picked up on a digital reproduction. I spent a long time in the Blake rooms, and almost didn’t want to leave. I also saw paintings by some of my other favorite artists like John Singer Sargent, which was quite a treat.

After some rest, I headed over to 17th South Molton Street for the Blake Society talk. What an amazing experience! Tim Heath — the chairman of the society who I have been in contact with through e-mail — was so kind, patient, and knowledgable. We managed to get my slideshow working and projected the images on the walls of Blake’s flat. Originally, Tim said there would only be room for 14 guests, but about 24 guests showed up and we managed to squeeze them in. Everyone had such interesting questions to ask me and their own insights on The Ghost of a Flea. Jesús came, which was great. So did Sarah Goode, who was absolutely lovely. One lady even came hoping to buy 25 copies of The Poet and the Flea for her book club (sorry, it’s not finished yet)! Also, the society gave me as a gift 3 high-quality (on a printer with 16 colors) prints/reproductions of Blake’s work, so maybe I’ll get them framed when I get home. Many, many thanks to the Blake Society and everyone in attendance!